I find it odd that Vmski brought up an old thread in order to post for the first time to talk about his/her Viking OTR MW. The sentence "Viking said that was the only microwave that would work" doesn't make sense. Viking doesn't make their own microwave ovens - the Viking MWs are re-badged from another manufacturer, I believe Sharp. So how could it be the "only MW that would work"? Furthermore, an OTR MW should not be put over a high-btu range - the heat will eventually fry the MW's electronics, not to mention that the OTR MW is not up to the task of exhausting high-btu cooking. i totally get that sometimes there is no other space for a MW than over the range. In that case, don't spend double for a Viking badge when the Sharp will work the same, unless the matching badge is important to you, which it is to many people. But then go in with eyes wide open that you are paying up for a badge, and that the exhaust capabilities of any OTR MW are limited, regardless that a Viking salesperson says theirs is "the only MW that would work". That's just not true. It is NOT the only one, and none will work well to exhaust.

According to Consumer Reports, you will never get the kind of exhaust from an over-the-range microwave oven with range hood that you would get from a range hood without MW oven. If you are a "serious cook" and I think you are judging from your choice of range, you really need to think about a range hood that dumps at least 300 cfm (cubic feet per minute) of exhaust to the outside. Proper exhaust is the one thing that often overlooked. You'll regret it if you don't attend to this need right. Vent-a-Hood is one option; there are many others. Broan, for instance, offers range hoods with remotely located motors (in the attic, maybe), so they're not so noisy. Look for another place to locate your MW/convection oven. BTW, do you really need such a combination oven if your range contains a convection oven?

I had a GE Spacemaker XL1800 OTR microwave, it died after 6 years of use. I replaced it with a small Panasonic Inverter countertop microwave from Costco. It works well, powerful and good looking but noisy. I will be looking for a vent hood soon. I researched microwaves, read many reviews and spoke to sales people, friends and family. I too have learned that consumers should not expect microwaves to last more than 5 years. I have also concluded that the simpler appliances of yesteryears were more reliable because they didn't have all the high tech features, I am now looking for basic models in all my future purchases.

The builder's standard is a MSRP $2,700 double oven and $500 OTR Microwave by GE Profile. If I want an Advantium and get rid of the OTR micro, I will need to go with a convection single oven for the bottom so the styles match. And that single oven costs $2,300 MSRP (http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=PT916SMSS). The builder wants to charge me an additional $800 for this new combination, so I figure the Advantium is worth about $1,700. And it's only 120V. Online the cheapest price I've seen is around $1500. I guess the builder isn't overcharging me much, but still, spending close to $4k for two ovens sounds a little scary, especially considering I won't be using the bottom one much at all. I'm now looking into the possibility of having a slide-in range and a convection microwave that sits on the countertop or in a pantry. I won't need to buy the Microwave through the builder, since it's not a built-in item. Can't believe I've changed my mind three times in a 24 hour period. And this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the hundreds of selections I need to make!